Sky Forge
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Learning the family trade isn't easy, but it does come with some perks. Like the ability to see sword spirits and cut through misfortune with a well made blade. Some misfortunes are harder to get rid of than others, like being born into a very bloody familigia as one of the heirs. Fortunately he won't be alone...the clients he gains are more than willing to help him avoid that fate
1. Chapter 1

**_Merry Christmas everyone! As a special present to you the fans, I'm posting a story I've had on my computer for a while but never bothered to make a proper story! It's a minor Katana-cross where Tsuna doesn't become Decimo if he has any say about it. Have fun and travel safely!_**

* * *

When he was very little, his mama took him to see his grandpa and uncle. They were more than happy to see him, though they didn't like his papa very much.

To be honest, Tsuna didn't like his papa that much either. The man seemed to enjoy tossing him in the air and it always felt like he only caught him as an afterthought.

At first the big house was scary. His uncle was so serious, but his grandfather was nice. And then he ran into him.

Akira, his older cousin. He was playing by himself in a room full of weird people in odd costumes.

"What are you doing?"

Akira jumped, before he registered where the voice was coming from.

"Playing. Are you my cousin Grandpa said was coming?"

"I'm Tsuna!" he said cheerfully.

"Akira," said the other boy, before nervously looking around. "You didn't see anything weird did you?"

Tsuna tilted his head.

"Who are all the people next to you?"

Akira stared.

"You can see them too?"

"They look really funny," said Tsuna.

Akira perked up.

"They do dress funny don't they? But they're all really nice!" said Akira, rather cheerfully. "Want to play with us?"

Tsuna was next to him in an instant.

An hour later Nana came in and saw the two happily playing together and smiled. She knew introducing her son to Akira was a good idea. The poor boy had no friends because the parents were all too paranoid about the swords they kept. She had to deal with her own harassment because her husband was always away on business.

"Did you have fun with Akira-kun?"

"Mama... can I come to play again?" asked Tsuna hopefully.

"I don't see why not. Your grandfather seemed to be really happy having you there," said Nana.

He seemed thrilled, in fact.

"Just be sure to let me know when you go over to play."

The house was a bus ride across town, and her father seemed interested in Tsuna joining the family trade, since Akira wasn't that enthusiastic about it.

Tsuna nodded. He liked playing with Akira.

Tsuna became a regular at the house, much to the delight of Akira. Mostly because none of the other kids wanted to play with him or come to his house. They were too scared of the swords for some weird reason.

Which he never understood, because they were rather nice to him and Tsuna.

When he was five, Tsuna was allowed into the forge where his grandfather and uncle worked. He wasn't allowed near the fire, or the tools, but he was allowed to watch. Seeing them turn a hunk of metal into a blade was like watching art being created. It was magical.

And when he said as much to his grandfather, the old man smiled.

"Would you like to learn?"

"I'm allowed to learn how to make magic?" said Tsuna with wide-eyed wonder.

Seeing the smile widen, Tsuna eagerly watched the two finish the sword.

The next morning, his grandfather started to show him the various tools they used and had him hold each one so he could get familiar with them.

Nana smiled when she heard he was going to join her father in making blades. She was sure her son would have just as much talent as her brother did. It ran in the family after all.

"That reminds me! I got a letter from your papa and he's coming home next week! Isn't that exciting?" said Nana.

Tsuna made a face.

"Can I stay with grandpa when he comes?"

Nana thought about it for a moment. On one hand, it would mean her son wouldn't be able to see his father for however long he was staying. But... if Tsuna stayed with her father and brother, then it meant she would have her husband all to herself and that meant a bit more time together so they could possibly work on having a second child. It had somewhat frustrated her that because Iemitsu was always abroad for work that she only had Tsuna to keep her company and she loved children.

Considering Tsuna was just now getting started on the family trade, it wouldn't hurt to let him stay the week.

"I'll talk with father about letting you spend the week while he's here. Just be sure to behave if he agrees to it," said Nana.

"I will Mama!" said Tsuna happily.

A day before Iemitsu was due to arrive, Tsuna had packed for at least eight days away from home. His grandfather made sure to pick him up so he didn't get lost. He was still getting used to the bus routes, after all.

Iemitsu came home (with two extras, to Nana's disappointment) and looked rather surprised to find out his son wasn't there.

"Honey, where's Tsuna?"

"Oh he's with my father. He was more than happy to let Tsuna stay over for a bit so he could learn the family trade," said Nana.

"Family trade?" repeated Iemitsu.

Nana blinked, before giving him an odd look.

"I thought you knew. You were certainly secretive about what you do in Italy."

Iemitsu stared at her, as did his 'guests'.

"How do you know I work in Italy?"

Nana's look was flat.

"You've left papers on the table before, and I looked up the words. It took me a while to narrow down that they were Italian," she said flatly. "I don't see why you have to keep making up such silly excuses about where you work."

Iemitsu winced.

"Any idea when he'll be home?" asked Iemitsu, changing the subject.

"Oh Tsuna-kun is spending the week with my father and brother. He's really taken with his cousin Akira-kun, and they had such fun playing together," said Nana smiling.

The older gentleman (who Iemitsu introduced as Timoteo, his boss) and the younger one (Bouche) both chuckled. It was pretty obvious why Nana had sent Tsuna off to stay with her father and brother for the week, and it had very little to do with him spending time with his cousin.

Timoteo clapped a hand on Iemitsu's shoulder.

"It sounds to me that you should spend this week with your wife," chuckled Timoteo. "Though I would like to meet little Tsuna before we leave."

"Oh I'm sure my father wouldn't mind sharing embarrassing stories with you later," said Nana smiling. Timoteo laughed in agreement.

* * *

_Some time later_

"That's it, Tsu-kun. You have to put your back into it," said his grandfather Kozen encouragingly.

Tsuna took the hammer and made a perfect arc, striking the metal squarely. The first few times he did it, the hammer nearly slipped out of his hands from the surprise of hearing the loud sound. Now he barely registered it save for when he hit the metal wrong or he heard something that sounded off.

Of course they did have to correct his grip the first few times.

Nearby Akira was sharpening swords under the direction of his father. Unlike Tsuna, he wasn't very good at the 'forging' aspect since he didn't really like how much work it took just to get the metal at the right temperature or how hard it was to hammer it into shape. While most modern swordmakers used power tools to save time, the Narikawa family stuck to the tried and true methods of crafting.

Tsuna wasn't very good at sharpening and 'clearing' the blades, but Akira had a real knack for it. On the other hand, he was quickly getting the hang of using the forge, even if he wasn't quite ready to make his own blades or use it without supervision just yet.

Tsuna cleared his mind and focused entirely on flattening the metal piece before him. It was surprisingly easy, and felt natural.

"I think that's enough for today. Good work, Tsuna," said his uncle.

Tsuna blinked and realized he had flattened the metal to an almost even degree throughout. He hadn't even realized it.

His grandfather patted his head.

"Well done, little Tsuna. You have the makings of a fine swordmaker," he said proudly. Tsuna blushed at the compliment.

None of the teachers ever said something like that to him, and the other children liked to make fun of him because his father was never around. Their mothers all liked to disparage his because that man never came home and used such ridiculous stories.

"In fact I think you are _almost_ ready to help us in the forge," said Kozen. Tsuna perked up.

"Really?"

"It won't be much... you'll mostly be helping us to keep the fire at the right temperature and hammering the initial form into shape."

"What about Akira-nii?"

"I'll stick to sharpening," said Akira grinning. He could relax a bit easier if he knew Tsuna would take over the family business of forging swords. He liked sharpening and cleaning the murkiness more than he did making them.

He liked making the swords shine again, to bring out their true nature after so many years. He wasn't very good at _making_ them come alive.

That being said, there was no denying the gleam that came into Tsuna's eyes the day he started reading a manga about a reincarnated boy who used hidden weapons that he had to forge himself. It reminded him so much of his family heritage that he couldn't help but want to learn how to do the same.

He was not oblivious to the fact his father wasn't as 'nice' as he liked to pretend. Besides, if he ever wanted to survive living in a town that had someone like Hibari Kyouya in it, then he had better have a few surprises up his sleeve!

It probably said far too much about Hibari's habits that his grandfather was all too willing to show Tsuna how to forge smaller weapons first...besides, it gave him and Akira practice for later when they were older and able to handle the swords that came in.

Tsuna was out eating sushi with his cousin and grandfather when he noticed it. A sword spirit that was relatively well maintained, but looked very tired. There was an odd sense of unhappy resignation, as if there was something bad happening to the people who owned it that it couldn't resolve.

Akira shared a look with Tsuna.

"Hey mister, is it true your family come from a long line of samurai?" asked Tsuna brightly, vaguely recalling the slightly older boy in his class mentioning it.

The sushi chef blinked before an amused smile came onto his face.

"And how would you know that, little one?"

"Takeshi-kun mentioned it in class once I think," said Tsuna, scrunching his nose as if he was recalling what Takeshi said. "He said that their family practiced a really old sword style and even had a real katana in their house."

Seeing he had his grandfather's full attention, the chef chuckled.

"We do, Shigure Kintoki has been in our family for generations."

That made his grandfather sit up a bit in excitement.

"Not the same Shigure Kintoki that was used by the famous Asari Ugetsu! The one that goes well with the Shigure Souen Ryuu sword style!"

"You know of it?" said the chef, openly shocked that their grandfather was able to recognize his sword style from the name of the sword alone.

Seeing the wide grin on the face of their grandfather, they listened avidly to the conversation Tsuna deliberately started.

"Our ancestor Kouin forged the Shigure Kintoki and gifted it to the family in thanks for saving his life from an unscrupulous lord. It was later fixed when it was damaged in Italy when Asari Ugetsu used it to help fight for his Lord against a large group of nobles that had been oppressing the peasants at the time. I believe one of our ancestors even married into the line at one point, though I'm not sure when."

Seeing the chef perked up, a wide grin appeared on his face. This was exactly what he needed to take his mind off his wife's illness for a while.

"If you like, I can bring it into one of the private rooms. We've been maintaining it for a while, but having a professional look it over wouldn't be a bad thing," he said.

It didn't take much convincing for Tsuyoshi (the chef) to bring out Shigure Kintoki.

Akira and Tsuna looked it over with fascinated eyes.

"Wow...this sword is in much better shape than the ones we normally get to see!" said Tsuna happily.

"It could use a proper sharpening though... the blade looks a little muddied though it's in excellent condition," said Akira after examining it.

Tsuyoshi looked abashed at that.

"It's been a while since I've needed to pull it out, so the fact it might need a bit of maintenance doesn't surprise me much."

Akira and Tsuna watched as their grandfather bartered the price of a free meal when they returned the sword in exchange for loaning them Shigure Kintoki.

It was with some surprise that Akira was given the responsibility of sharpening it... it was his first big work!

* * *

_Some time later..._

Akira worked carefully, but steadily. He had gotten really good at sharpening thanks to all the practice Tsuna gave him with his smaller daggers, knives and other hidden weapons. While they were just plain practice blades he could tell Tsuna was quickly working up to forging weapons that had an actual soul to them.

Bit by bit, Shigure Kintoki began to brighten and their behavior became much happier.

"_It truly is dreadful... the mistress has fallen ill and I was unable to protect her from the worst of it!"_ cried the sword. _"Worse, I fear for young master Takeshi."_

Tsuna tilted his head.

"Is it because he smiles when he's not really happy?" asked Tsuna.

The sword looked at him. It nodded sadly.

Tsuna resolved to make Takeshi show his real feelings, since his mama was in the hospital feeling bad. His grandpa let him carry Shigure Kintoki all the way back to the restaurant, freshly sharpened and checked over.

There was a sense of impending sadness and Tsuna really didn't like it at all. Clearly Takeshi's mama was taking a turn for the worse.

Seeing that fake smile on his face, Tsuna didn't even think twice about it.

"Stop that. I know my Mama would rather I smile when I actually felt happy than to see a fake smile when she knows I'm really sad!" said Tsuna sternly.

Takeshi had a rather bewildered look on his face, but the fake smile dropped to something a bit more neutral.

"I don't want to lose her," he admitted, trying not to cry. Tsuna hugged him as the adults talked shop a bit.

"We cleaned up your family sword, want to see it?" asked Tsuna, trying to take Takeshi's mind off his mom's illness.

He couldn't explain what happened next...just that there was a strange surge of warmth and protectiveness as Takeshi carefully pulled Shigure Kintoki out of the sheath to look at it properly. Tsuna could see the sword wake up all at once, before cleaving something he couldn't really see in the air. Takeshi quickly put the sword back, having felt _something_ happen with a bewildered look on his face.

Rather than go back with his grandfather, Tsuna stayed with Takeshi all through the night so he wouldn't be alone when the doctors called back. Tsuyoshi had gone to the hospital, glad his son wouldn't be alone even if they were a bit young.

So it was with some excitement and no little sense of relief that they got the news early in the morning.

"She pulled through!" said Takeshi, putting down the phone in relief. "The doctors can't explain it, but she managed to make it through the worst of the treatment and she might even make a full recovery!"

Tsuna suddenly knew what Shigure Kintoki had 'cut' through when Takeshi took the blade out. It had cut through the misfortune hanging over their family and allowed his mama to make it through whatever made her sick.

On the plus side, he finally had a real friend in school that wasn't scared of his swords. Akira loved it as well, since most of his classmates were all told to avoid his house. It was nice having friends.


	2. Chapter 2

**Merry Christmas! =D**

* * *

Tsuna's unusual relationship with Hibari Kyouya began the day he was inadvertently busted for carrying armor that he had personally made. While making little weapons that even someone as small as him could use was fun, with all the bullying he put up with he decided to branch out into armor.

His grandfather was fine with it, and even gave him an allotment of metal to play around with. After all, you couldn't exactly get into trouble for bringing metal _armor_ to school, even if it was something as basic as chainmail.

Which was where the trouble started.

Hibari came like an avenging crow when he heard the fighting, only to discover Tsuna looking more or less undamaged and the bullies cursing out the fact he had something under his shirt.

Closer inspection revealed an odd pattern to their bruises.

Hibari's eyes gleamed, and the bullies scattered. Tsuna picked up his things, and paled when he realized Hibari hadn't chased after the others.

"Small animal, what do you have under your shirt?"

Tsuna stared, before he reluctantly pulled up his shirt just enough to expose an unfinished set of chainmail underneath. It was still a little short of being complete, but enough that it covered the main areas.

He had learned from experience that children were less inclined to beat someone up if they got hurt in the process. And metal was _hard_ for untrained children to hit directly with their fists.

"Weapons are not allowed on school grounds," said Hibari.

"Chainmail isn't a weapon unless you take it off and throw it at someone, Hibari-sempai," deadpanned Tsuna. "Besides, once word gets around I'm wearing period-accurate armor from Europe, the idiots who like to harass me will be less inclined to beat me up."

Hibari looked speculative at that.

"Where did you get the armor?"

"I made it. Grandpa doesn't mind if I mess around with the forge to make things, so long as I pay proper respect to my craft and don't horse around."

"Is armor the only thing you can make?" he asked with interest.

"I've been making small blades and hidden weapons, but the inner workings are really finicky and take time to make. Chainmail is easier."

Hibari looked at his tonfas, then at Tsuna.

"If you can get me a blueprint for what you want, I can make you a new set of tonfas," said Tsuna, already guessing what he wanted. "However I'm still trying to work my way up to a full sword."

Seeing the gleam in his eyes, Tsuna knew that if he succeeded then he would never be truly rid of Hibari. However his pride as an apprentice sword maker was at stake, so he would never do a sub-par job at it.

A month later, Tsuna walked up to Hibari who was waiting to catch the latecomers with a reminder of following the rules. In his arms was a thin box.

He handed it to Hibari without a word, and headed off to class. The next morning he saw Hibari weilding his new extendable tonfas with a vicious gleam in his eyes and a pleased expression on his face.

Tsuna felt a measure of pride at the fact one of his creations was actually being used the way they were intended.

* * *

"Ahahahaha... you made Hibari-sempai some new toys, didn't you?" said Takeshi.

Ever since that day Shigure Kintoki cleansed the misfortune that was causing Takeshi's mom to become sick, Takeshi had been by Tsuna's side. He wasn't as oblivious as he made himself out to be... it hadn't taken much to figure out Tsuna was the reason his mom got better.

Tsuna was just glad to have _one_ friend, even if he had to keep Takeshi from overdoing things because the team kept putting all the burden of winning on him instead of actually practicing their own skills.

Takeshi's mom was not happy about that when Tsuna pointed it out to her.

After making the tonfas, Tsuna found himself with a discreet 'friend' of sorts. Hibari didn't like crowding with 'herbivores', but he seemed to make an exception for Tsuna.

Probably because he wasn't stupid enough to offend the small animal capable of making him new toys to bite people with.

"So what are you going to make for that collector's convention next month?" asked Takeshi.

"I'm going to try and make a ninjato. If Grandpa says it's good I'll try to sell it for some more cash to make new weapons with," said Tsuna. "Akira's already agreed to make it properly sharp once it's finished."

"...Isn't that the weapon of choice for ninjas?" asked Takeshi amused.

"That was never conclusively proven!" said Tsuna, eyes gleaming.

He hoped to get good enough that he could one day recreate his all time favorite weapons. They were a pair of falchions that his absolute _favorite_ character used as his primary weapon, despite being an archer.

EMIYA was one of his all-time favorite characters because of one simple fact.

He was a sword user that could recreate any blade he saw and use them, even if they were only copies. Even his magic was based off of 'creating' fake blades to use against his enemies, including legendary weapons long since lost to time.

As an apprentice swordsmith, he often drooled over the thought of having Unlimited Blade Works to play around with.

And no, he would not admit to repeating the aria every time he went to make a new weapon.

Tsuna had the utmost concentration on what he was doing. Akira was by the forge, helping to keep the fire hot and the bellows going. His father was very pleased by the fact his son was willing to learn the basics of working the forge, even if his specialty was cleansing and sharpening the blades of impurity. Together the two made a formidable team.

Slowly but surely, a shape began to emerge under Tsuna's hammer. He had picked a ninjato because while small, it was still a sword. It was no less deadly than a katana or a tachi because of it's size.

Unnoticed by either of the boys, Tsuna's eyes glowed as if caught by the light of the sunset. He felt as though some part of him was entering the blade as it was being made, making it more than just a normal blade.

After long days of hard work, and using up countless hours of his after school freedom in the forge, the ninjato was done.

Akira looked ready to pass out, as working the forge was exhausting. Especially for someone not even in his teens yet.

Once the blade was tempered and cooled, Tsuna presented it to his grandfather and uncle for inspection.

"Hmm...a fine piece, especially for your first attempt at swordcraft."

"Acceptable, for someone so young," conceded his uncle.

Tsuna beamed with pride.

"I suppose I can increase your allotment of metal if you're capable of making something like this. The only question is what are you going to name it?" he asked.

Tsuna had thought about a name for a long time, and had discarded quite a few of them. However seeing the blade shine in the moon's light he knew the perfect name for a blade that was primarily used by assassins and shinobi in the past. After all, ninjato were supposedly popular among the shinobi sect because they were small and easy to use compared to longer katana.

"Tsukiyo, because it's short and easy to remember. Besides, if I keep it then I can just call her Tsu-chan the same way Mama does to me all the time!" chirped Tsuna.

His grandfather hummed.

"I would say keep her. After all, she is your first proper sword and a milestone in your attempts to become a proper swordsmith. Though I suppose I could permit you to sell some of the kunai and shuriken you keep making. I'm sure someone will enjoy a historically accurate weapon in their collection, even if it was forged recently," said his grandfather.

Tsuna perked up at that. He kept making kunai and shuriken because they were small and easy to make with scrap metal. If he was allowed to sell some of his better works that would definitely pay for more metal to forge with, as well as better tools. He could even get Akira a better quality sharpening stone, which he knew his cousin would appreciate.

A pity he wasn't up to engraving things just yet. He was sure that Tsukiyo would look even better with a cute crescent moon poking from behind some clouds on the blade. He even had a design for it in his room too. It was one of many he wanted to play around with once he was up to that point.

Tsuna walked away from that convention with several orders for kunai, shuriken and an interest once he was up to making new blades like his grandfather and uncle. He was proud to bear the Narikawa name, as his mother had _zero_ issue with him dropping the Sawada name after his father stopped bothering to visit home altogether shortly after he turned seven.

Tsuna barely remembered the man's name, much less what he even looked like. His mother would look at the obviously photoshopped postcards with disappointed hope and unhappiness that he couldn't be bothered to come up with a lie that people could actually _believe_.

Honestly, did he expect the 'construction worker at the North Pole' would actually work? There wasn't any actual construction projects up there, and he was dressed entirely wrong for the climate. Not to mention the fact that no real construction worker would have a _gold_ pickaxe to work with.

As someone who spent plenty of time around swordsmiths, Tsuna knew perfectly well that gold was terrible for hard use. It's only real purpose was to make things shiny and decorative. Anyone who tried to use a weapon made of it was just wasting their money and time, because the second it went up against a real weapon it would break.

Which was why Tsuna did the smart thing whenever questioned about his father, or lack thereof.

He claimed the man was dead and that his mother was living off the inheritance the man had left. By the time Tsuna turned nine, Nana had given in and started using his story as well. Since they had no idea where Iemitsu was or even if he was even alive, they couldn't exactly send divorce papers.

Unfortunately they couldn't declare Iemitsu legally dead either, as the paperwork fell through for reasons that were never fully explained. They settled for pretending Iemitsu died when Tsuna was really young and never talked about him to anyone.

Tsuna nearly had a heart attack when, seven months after creating his first proper sword, it developed a soul all it's own.

The sprite that nearly gave him a heart attack looked like a tiny moon spirit with silver hair and silver colored eyes. She wore an orange kimono with indigo accents, which had a very delicate looking pattern of a cloud poking out from beyond the clouds made of white thread.

It had taken bringing Akira with him to confirm he wasn't imagining things, but he was still stunned one of his creations had developed a 'soul'.

It was a sign of things to come...not that the boys knew it yet.

* * *

What had started out as a joke request to Hibari after he accidentally learned the slightly older teen spoke fluent Mandarin would end up earning Tsuna some rather...dubious...clients.

Tsuna wanted to be able to watch "Doulou Dalu" in the original language without subtitles, and Hibari liked the weapons and armor Tsuna could create. So by mutual agreement, Hibari agreed to teach the 'small fox' how to speak Chinese in exchange for a discount on some proper weapons for his minions. More specifically he wanted Kusakabe to have a proper knife, rather than the shoddy mass-produced blade he used now. The difference in quality was beyond obvious at a glance, and Hibari wanted his right hand to be armed with something that wouldn't break.

Tsuna had it made within two weeks, though Hibari had him fluent enough in a month...and discovered Tsuna was a semi-decent "playmate" once motivated. The only issue was that he wasn't that great at _using_ his weapons as he was creating them.

Instead he had to make due with some special gauntlets he created to take the brunt of the tonfas, and learn how to fight hand to hand without formal training involved.

So you could imagine his surprise when he ran into a tiny Hibari with a monkey one afternoon. It was after school hours and he had a day free of the forge since his grandfather and uncle had a special order to make, thus had taken it over.

"Um... hello?"

"Hello little one. Are you the same child who made those tonfas for Kyouya?" asked the small Hibari.

Tsuna blinked.

"You mean Hibari-sempai? I was the one who made them, though I wasn't sure if they would turn out as well as they did. Who are you?" asked Tsuna.

"I should have introduced myself first. My name is Fon, and I'm Kyouya's grandfather," said the smaller Hibari...or rather Fon. "This is my companion Lichi."

Tsuna had to giggle a little when the monkey chittered and scampered up his arm to sit on his shoulder.

He wasn't going to question why someone who looked physically two was claiming to be Hibari's grandfather. After all, he had the ability to see the souls of swords.

"Are you here to see Hibari-sempai?"

"Actually I was wondering if you were allowed to take orders for weapons," admitted Fon, slightly sheepish. "It's rather difficult to find a proper weaponsmith who still uses the proper forging technique without machinery involved. That and I heard that a grandson of the Narikawa family was the one responsible for the recent influx of proper kunai and shuriken on the market."

Tsuna brightened hearing that.

"Oh is that all? Grandpa lets me use the forge, but I haven't been able to work up to a full sword just yet. I have been playing around with making hidden weapons and I've recently managed to make a proper ninjato solo," said Tsuna. "If you're looking for something more your size, then I might be allowed to take on that commission. I would have to ask grandfather first."

Fon looked decidedly happy hearing that, especially considering the fact Tsuna was being properly respectful and deferring to a master smith before agreeing to anything. It was so hard finding weapons that were 'sized' to his cursed body without paying ridiculous fees.

Tsuna was greatly entertained watching Fon spar with Hibari and seeing the Demon Prefect lose for once.


	3. Chapter 3

Fon looked decidedly pleased with the first weapon Tsuna made for him. It took him a few months because he kept tweaking it for reasons known only to him. But the end result was something the tiny martial artist looked delighted with.

Tsuna called them "Storm Claws", though he didn't know why that was the first thing that came to mind once they were finished and sharpened.

It was a set of blades attached to a sort of gauntlet that would allow Fon the ability to use his hands freely without cutting himself. The blades themselves were retractable and were hidden as 'decorative' strips of metal along the guantlet. Fon practiced with using them and was rather happy with the result, as they extended and retracted on command and allowed him to be even more lethal as a result.

Tsuna still didn't know what the special metal Fon had given him was, but he knew it was far superior to the iron and steel fragments that his grandfather gave him to practice with.

All in all, Fon was so pleased with the weapon and the set of kunai and shuriken that Tsuna made for him that he paid more than the agreed price.

Somehow, Tsuna had the feeling the tiny martial artist was going to be a repeat customer. And would lead more people to him later on for business.

_A few months later..._

Tsuna looked at his favorite (and most regular) customer.

"You want me to make a full set of authentic shinobi gear for someone your size?" said Tsuna.

"It's for a friend who's really into Japanese culture. He's more of a ninja fan than a samurai one, and I thought it would cheer him up after the bad week he's been having, especially since I know his birthday is soon," said Fon, smiling pleasantly while at Tsuna's home.

By this point the man was a regular in Tsuna's house, since Hibari didn't like having him around and his aunt kept treating the man as an actual child. Not to mention his uncle was decidedly nervous at having Lichi around for some reason, as if the monkey were an untrained pet.

As a result, Tsuna made a point to stock up on some proper loose leaf tea and always had some ready whenever Fon came to visit. He seemed to find the atmosphere around the newly minted teenager relaxing.

"I might be able to pull that off. When do you need it?"

"Preferably by next month. I know it's a lot to ask, but he's an old colleague of mine and I know this would really cheer him up," said Fon.

"I've got a lot of practice and fortunately we do have a break coming up. Most of the issue I have with forging is that I have to deal with classes on top of it, which is why it takes so long," said Tsuna, sipping his oolong tea. "What's your friend's name?"

"Skull de Mort. He often refers to himself as the 'Great Skull-sama' and I know for a fact he's a huge fan of the older Godzilla movies. He has a pet octopus he calls Oodako," said Fon.

"That's a very...literal...name."

Fon smiled in return.

"So how complete of a set do you want? Kunai and shuriken are obvious, but do you want a sword and some claws similar to the ones I made for you a while back?"

"Something a casual fan of shinobi would have on hand to cosplay with, but with the lethality of the real thing. I have heard that the Narikawa clan specialize in creating swords that cleanse misfortune, so that would be something I would like him to have. He has enough bad luck on his own without adding more to it," said Fon.

Tsuna took out a notepad.

"So the basic kunai, shuriken...maybe some senbon and claws to 'climb' up walls with, and definitely a ninjato for smaller hands. I think I can come up with that in a month, so long as I spent most of my break in the forge," said Tsuna.

"If it helps, I can source some more of the 'special' metal you made my claws with before for the sword," said Fon.

"That would definitely cut down on the cost. I make kunai and shuriken out of scrap metal most of the time, so I can create those relatively quickly. Senbon are going to be a bit of a pain because I don't know if Akira has ever sharpened those before."

"I can source those, actually. I know someone who has a supply of them for acupuncture clinics," said Fon.

"So the two main issues are going to be the claws and the sword. This is going to be tough, but I'm fairly positive I can get the order done on time," said Tsuna confidently. "Think you can get a picture of his reaction when he sees it?"

Fon smiled warmly.

"I'm sure Skull will love it and his expression will be most amusing."

Tsuna worked for hours in the forge to make the ninjato. The claws were easy, since he tended to make shinobi weaponry as a way to test any new metals he bought to see what he could make with them. It took all of a two days to make them for someone Fon's size.

The sword, however, he put far more care into. After all, it was a Narikawa specialty and he didn't want word getting out he had half-assed making a proper sword.

He almost didn't make the deadline, but the finished product was something he was happy with. He called the sword "Cloud Rider", and just like Tsukiyo, he could see an infant sword spirit being formed while it was sharpened by Akira.

He could only hope the spirit that was born from the sword was a kind one. He found it rather funny that it almost seemed to take the form of a lizard with sharp spikes along the back.

It would be rather amusing if the Godzilla fan ended up with a sword that had a soul that looked like the king of kaiju.

* * *

"Happy Birthday Skull," said Fon grinning.

Skull opened up the box and gaped.

"No way, where did you get actual ninja weaponry?" he said in shock, but his delight was obvious. He looked at Fon suspiciously. "Are you _sure_ you're not secretly a ninja?"

Fon coughed with amusement. It was a longstanding argument after one too many movie nights before the curse, and it was something the others still teased him about.

"I found a rather good weaponsmith in Japan who does custom work for a far more reasonable price than I could get in China. He's still an apprentice, but he's very skilled. The sword in particular was something he spent quite a bit of time on, and he comes from a long line of swordsmiths. I believe he called the blade 'Cloud Rider'," said Fon.

"A long line of sword smiths? Which one?"

"He's from the Narikawa family."

Skull gaped at him.

"No way, you're telling me this was made by a descendant of Kouin? Which grandson made this?" asked Skull eagerly.

Fon blinked.

"You know which family I was talking about by the name?"

Skull looked as excited as a puppy.

"The Narikawa are famous in Japan! The grandfather is a national living treasure and he often works with his son to create really high quality blades! I heard a rumor one of the grandchildren had taken up the family tradition and did custom orders, and that the other one was a sharpening master!" said Skull eagerly. "You wouldn't believe what the forums have been saying about the grandson's work."

Fon smiled at him.

"I have the feeling Tsuna would be embarrassed but happy learning you like his work. He enjoys it when people show love towards his creations, especially when it comes to swords. The claws he made for me are far superior to what I normally get my hands on in the Triads," said Fon.

"Claws?" said Skull, tilting his head.

Fon pulled out the gauntlets and extended the claws.

"That...is insanely cool!" said Skull.

"He called them Storm Claws," said Fon. You could hear his amusement at the name.

"Can I meet him? Please?" begged Skull. He was so bored lately and he was between jobs. Besides, it meant he might be able to get Narikawa's autograph which would be awesome!

"I don't see why not."

Skull was the _least_ threatening of the group and often acted like a little kid. Tsuna might enjoy having him around.

* * *

Of all the things to happen, this was _not_ the outcome he anticipated.

Fon openly stared after Kyouya attempted to brain Skull for getting close to Tsuna...before proceeding to go _Active_. It took some fast talking before his grandson calmed down thanks to Tsuna...who's eyes were glowing amber with a hidden well of strength.

Fon had a rather sudden epiphany seeing that.

"My apologizes Skull. I honestly had no idea that Tsuna was a Sky or that Kyouya had already staked his claim on him as his Cloud," said Fon sheepishly.

He had known Tsuna was Active, but he had never bothered to find out which type he was. He had just assumed the boy was a Mist because of his skill at creating things.

He never would have guessed the teen was a _Sky_.

Tsuna blinked.

"What's a Sky?"

Fon sighed. This was going to be a headache, but on the plus side so long as Tsuna never displayed any _obvious_ signs of Flame use he might be able to skate as a civilian. After all, he was the most cost-efficient supplier of custom-made blades available in Asia.

Tsuna might not know it, but a lot of his clients were part of the underworld. They were just discreet about it and followed by the simple rule Fon had placed when it came to orders.

The rule was that no one with _obvious_ underworld affiliations was to approach the boy or his family. The Narikawa were respected enough even by the Triads and the Yakuza that they were willing to use proxies to make orders.

"What a mess. Though if we're going to have this discussion, it might be best to do it at TakeSushi," said Fon.

"Why?" asked Tsuna.

"Well for one thing, it means I can get some sake," said Fon bluntly. He had the feeling he was going to need it. "And for another, this discussion will definitely involve young Takeshi at some point so it would be better to get it out of the way. Besides, his father is an ex-assassin."

Tsuyoshi would be an acceptable contact for the boys to have in the event Fon wasn't available himself to answer questions. Besides, he had to have suspected something was going on with his son and Tsuna.

_An hour later..._

Tsuyoshi not only gave them a private dining room for free, but he gave them a discount on their order.

Skull found himself in Tsuna's lap, which he didn't mind at all. The teen was rather cuddly and his flames weren't trying to smother him into a bond he didn't want. Kyouya was still rather grumpy, but the fact Skull's flames weren't trying to attach themselves to Tsuna kept him from becoming violent...again.

Tsuna took the explanation well enough...right up until Fon told them about the fact that Flame Actives were more often than not forcibly dragged into the underworld.

Case in point, Skull, who was a former civilian stuntman.

Tsuna paled upon hearing that. However he actually relaxed at the possessive growl from not only Kyouya, but Takeshi as well.

"So just to be clear, these underworld guys are going to come after Tsuna because he has some rare color and expect him to play for their team even if he doesn't want to?" said Takeshi.

Tsuyoshi looked resigned at the fact that his son went active the second Fon confirmed that any number of unsavory characters would try to force Tsuna into their families because of his flames...with or _without_ his consent.

On the plus side, it was clear that Takeshi had developed a proper Guardian bond with a Sky that actually gave a damn, so that was one less worry for him. And it was someone Tsuyoshi didn't mind his son being around.

"You said that people would try to force fake bonds on me in order to drag me into their family," said Tsuna. "What did you mean by that?"

Fon took a long hit of his sake. It was clearly a sore subject for him.

"Nowadays it's _rare_ to see a Sky properly courting a Guardian that would actually match them. And a lot of families encourage their Skies to try and entice the most powerful or influential Elements first to improve their own standing. However if there is no compatibility between them, the attempts at harmony can be...painful...to say the least."

"How so?" asked Tsuna with open concern.

"Imagine putting on a pair of headphones and hitting play on a music player expecting something you consider acceptable to come out, only to hear a genre like heavy metal blaring at full volume into your ears without any warning whatsoever," said Fon after a moment. "The experience is very jarring and quite often rather painful to handle, especially with the sudden shock to the system. Except instead of a momentary pain from the blast of sound, you have to deal with the ache of having something that would complete you in a way that's impossible to fully describe and knowing that the odds of finding it are almost impossible."

Seeing the collective wince of Takeshi and Tsuna, he knew he had gotten the point across.

"So how do I bring out these flames anyway?" asked Tsuna.

Fon thought of a way to describe it.

"How would you react if someone were to threaten your mother at this very moment?" asked Fon. "And don't describe it in words...put your thought into protecting her and will it to appear."

Tsuna didn't have to think twice... it was the same strange calm he felt while forging, except aimed towards protecting his loved ones and close friends like Takeshi or Kyouya.

There was even some protectiveness for Fon and to a lesser extent Skull.

You could imagine Fon's shock when Tsuna went from calm straight into Hyper Dying Will Mode.

Kyouya and Takeshi relaxed immediately when they felt Tsuna's flame fill the room and wrap itself protectively around them. Offering them a home where they didn't have to hide their true natures and giving them unconditional acceptance.

Tsuna felt _something_ click into place, and the shock of that caused the flames to turn off. He sagged, exhausted beyond belief and really wanting a nap.

The thing that bugged Fon and to a lesser extent Skull was the fact that while Tsuna's flames were out, they could feel the gentle call of his Sky. It was a vast difference from what they normally had to put up with.

His 'call' wasn't demanding anything...just offering a place where they could finally rest and not have to deal with being alone anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

"Can I hug your brother?" asked a random girl on the street.

Fon and Tsuna stared at her for several moments, as if wondering how she made the Herculean leap in logic that they were in any way related. If anything, she should have been asking _Kyouya_ to hug his 'brother'.

"Excuse me?" said Tsuna very confused.

"I said can I hug your little brother? He's so adorable and he must be a good sibling to walk you to the bus stop every day!" she said cheerfully.

Tsuna stared at her.

"Wow. How many ways can I explain what is wrong with that?" said Tsuna out loud. The girl bristled at the tone alone. "First off, he's not my brother, and quite frankly you need to get your eyes checked if you missed the fact Fon-sensei looks more like a miniature Hibari Kyouya than me. Second, do you have _any_ idea what you sound like when you say stuff like that to people who have no idea who you are?"

Seeing the offended look on her face, Tsuna continued without mercy or hesitation.

"Besides, Fon-sensei is older than I am. He _is_ Hibari's grandfather after all."

"You have to be joking," said the girl incredulous. "He's only two!"

"Actually he has a rare form of dwarfism that makes him look much younger than he really is," corrected Tsuna. "That doesn't change the fact that you walked up to us without even bothering to introduce yourself and asked to hug him, which makes you sound like a pedophile to pretty much everyone. Or at least a child predator attempting to kidnap him."

She stared at him in disbelief.

"I am _not_ a pedophile!" she shrieked at him.

"No, but the way you came up to us and asked to hug a random child on the street makes you come off at one," Fon added, rather bluntly. "Never mind the fact that we have never seen you before today, let alone been introduced. And that's not getting into how rude and inconsiderate you are assuming that the caretakers would allow you to hug their children."

She looked mortally offended by that, and walked off with a huff.

"...I can't help but feel as though I dodged a major bullet there," said Tsuna.

Fon shuddered.

"Agreed. That was highly disturbing, even for me," said Fon.

"...Should we have Kyouya flag her just in case?"

"It might be for the best," said Fon. There was no telling how far her 'interest' in small children went.

"How come you never complain when I randomly snuggle with you at night when you stay over?" asked Tsuna curiously.

Fon looked amused.

"That's because you never do it while awake and you always have this amusing expression on your face when you become flustered. Besides, your hugs are rather warm and comforting without trying to be cloying about it."

Tsuna blushed at that.

They had learned quite by accident that if either of the Arcobaleno were within grabbing range, Tsuna would latch onto them and cuddle with them like teddy bears without waking up. It had been rather embarrassing the first time it happened, but now Skull made a point to visit regularly and cuddle with him.

He made a strange comment about how Tsuna was a 'cute bunny' or something and how his flames felt really snuggly.

Fon had learned to tolerate it because Tsuna was never awake when he did it, and he would hesitantly admit that he didn't particularly mind being wrapped up in Tsuna's flames since it was rather comforting.

He suspected Tsuna was unconsciously trying to harmonize with him and he wasn't entirely certain if he wanted to test his luck. It certainly felt closer to a proper harmony bond than he had ever gotten with Luce, which was the closest any of them had ever gotten to one.

Today Tsuna was planning to make another sword. Sometimes he would get this urge to create something, and he would be restless until he went to the forge and made a new blade.

His grandfather called it the "forging itch". He said it was a sign of a natural weaponsmith that they would get the urge and create something extraordinary that would last for centuries and be appreciated by everyone.

Fon jumped onto his shoulder, and Tsuna didn't slow his stride in the least. He was used to it by this point.

"So what are you planning to make this time?"

"A wakizashi. For some reason I have the feeling I'm going to be meeting someone soon who will need the cleansing power of one of our swords," said Tsuna. "I thought about a tanto, but something tells me it might accidentally bring bad luck if I did."

His 'Hyper Intuition' as Fon had called it, said that he would be meeting someone who would need to have a lot of misfortune cleansed from their lives. Besides, he hadn't made a sword in a while and there was another convention for collectors coming up. Some up and coming actress was going to be there because she planned to sell some katana her ex-husband used to own, but she wanted a higher price for them than the shops were willing to give her.

What made Tsuna suspect that he would be meeting a girl was the fact his 'intuition' warned him against making a tanto, which was much easier to hide. After all, tanto were traditionally given to young women at their wedding as a warning against infidelity.

Since he planned to sell some of his weapons to collectors, Tsuna got the sword done first before moving on.

The sword had a beautiful tempered pattern and something made him think of a white owl in the moonlight when he looked at it.

He decided to call it Fukurou, and even made a decorative owl to put on the outside of the sheath. He still wasn't up to engravings, to his disappointment.

* * *

Tsuna kept an eye out for the person he was supposed to meet. And then...it happened. He saw a young girl about his age with a thin frame and skittish demeanor and he just knew Fukurou was for her.

He walked up to her, calm as could be.

"Hello. My name is Tsuna, what's yours?"

The girl looked at him startled, as if surprised to see a boy her age there...much less talking to someone like her.

"N-Nagi."

"Which swords are you here for?" asked Tsuna.

Seeing her blank expression, Tsuna blushed slightly.

"Which swords are you trying to buy or sell," he clarified. "Maybe I could be of some help."

"M-mother is trying to sell the swords father left behind. Her boyfriend insisted," said Nagi timidly.

Something about how the swords made him feel uncomfortable, despite the fact Nagi only uncovered them from storage a month and a half ago.

Her mother had agreed because she didn't particularly like her ex-husband and she had no use for the swords. Nagi didn't dare voice her desire to keep them, because her mother had a habit of getting rid of _anything_ that reminded her of her father.

Tsuna went to look at the swords in question.

"I doubt she's going to get a decent price for them. From the looks of things no one has properly maintained these for some time."

"You there boy! Step away from those swords! I'll not have your clumsy hands damage them and lower their price!" said a somewhat shrill and condescending voice.

"Is this a _friend_ of yours Nagi?" said another voice, a male this time.

Tsuna turned to face a slightly pretty woman, though the ugliness around her made what few looks she had seem pale in comparison. The man beside her had the same sort of ugliness as well, only it was far more concentrated.

Tsuna stared them down and made sure to allow Nagi to hide behind him. She gratefully accepted the move, and tried to make herself as small as possible.

"You're not going to get much of anything with the swords in this condition. When was the last time they were properly sharpened and cleaned up? The sheathes alone are in terrible condition and need replacing," said Tsuna bluntly, not backing down.

"And what would a _child_ know about swords?" said the woman snidely.

"Tsuna, there you are," said his grandfather.

"And you are?"

He blinked.

"Narikawa-sensei!" said an excited collector.

"This is my grandfather, Narikawa Kozan. The fact you don't recognize him at all is a fairly good sign you know nothing about swords," said Tsuna. "And I'm telling you that no one here will buy these swords in such poor condition. If you want to get any money out of them you'll need to have them cleaned up first."

The woman stared at him in fury, likely because a mere fourteen year old was telling her off about a subject she could care less about.

Tsuna made a point to divert Nagi away from those people. He had the worst feeling _they_ were the source of her misfortune.

So you could imagine his surprise when she showed up at his door with the three katana her mother had been attempting to sell.

"Ano...mother said I could bring them here to be properly cleaned," said Nagi timidly.

Tsuna let her in.

"How are you feeling? I noticed that woman wasn't particularly nice to you," said Tsuna gently, allowing a touch of his flames to wrap around Nagi like a protective blanket.

Nagi relaxed considerably once she felt his flames around her.

"Mother really wants to get rid of father's swords, but she was very unhappy learning she would only get a fraction of their worth unless she had them fixed up properly. She was even less happy finding out that the least expensive one in the business was your family."

"Akira is really good at sharpening," said Tsuna, gently leading her into the house.

Nagi looked at it all with open fascination. She had never been in a proper traditional Japanese home before. Much less a smithy.

Akira took one look at the sad state of the spirits Nagi was carrying with her, and agreed to clean them up. Though he noticed with some amusement (and a little jealousy) at how easily Tsuna hit it off with the shy girl who wasn't scared of swords.

Tsuna was lucky... Akira had yet to get a _single_ girlfriend because of their family's craft. He barely had any friends at all because the adults all took one look at the fact his family still forged swords and even maintained them and told their children to avoid him because swords were "scary".

If it wasn't for his cousin, Akira wouldn't have had a single normal friend to talk to.

Even if Takeshi was a tad baseball obsessed.

A month later, after the swords were sharpened (and discreetly bought by Tsuna) Nagi somehow turned up at Tsuna's door with a small bag and a skittish look that was leagues above what she had before.

The most telling part? She had Fukurou partially unsheathed.

Tsuna let her in without a word, and slowly eeked out the story from her.

What he heard had his blood boil, and he was already making plans to introduce her to Kyouya.

Her mother, and he hesitated to _use_ that particular word, had decided to marry the asshole boyfriend she had been dating. The same boyfriend who gave poor Nagi a really bad feeling and she had caught doing drugs more than once.

Really, the only smart thing to do with the adults unwilling or paid off not to notice the neglect she was suffering from, was to run away.

It was just coincidence that she somehow managed to find Tsuna's house out of all the hiding places she could have gone to, right?

Fon erased that notion from his head within an hour.

"She's a Mist, an Active soft type at that. She must have sensed 'safety' when she ran into you, which meant your flames naturally drew her to you when she ran away from an active threat," said Fon bluntly.

"...Do you think Kyouya would be willing to discreetly adopt her as a little sister, so that her _mother_ doesn't find her?"

"Why Kyouya?" asked Fon, interested in hearing Tsuna's reasoning.

"Mostly because only an idiot would come after her while she's obviously under Hibari protection, but also so I don't accidentally slot her into a little sister role too soon," admitted Tsuna.

Nagi perked up at that a little.

In short order, the child known as "Nagi" disappeared from public record and Hibari Mei was 'born'. Officially she was Kyouya's "cousin" from China. Unofficially everyone treated her like Kyouya's sister and it really didn't help that the Disciplinary Committee kept a close watch for trouble that might bother her.

On an unrelated note, Akira couldn't quite keep the jealousy that his cousin managed to find a girlfriend before him, despite the fact that everyone knew Tsuna made weapons. He had trouble finding friends who didn't mind he came from an active swordsmith's house, so how was Tsuna that lucky to make friends so easily?


	5. Chapter 5

The day Tsuna runs into Mammon and Belphegor is the day that he would remember forever.

Namely because it results in him having all new clients, and fulfilling a certain 'wish' of his, even if Fon shakes his head in open amusement.

Tsuna went to visit Takeshi and ran into a certain exiled Prince who had just come from the restaurant. Considering he was bored, he had gone hunting for a few yakuza thugs to skewer.

Tsuna took _one_ look at his knives and promptly snatched one of them from the other teen's hand, to the blond's ire.

"Ka-ching. Hand over my knife peasant!"

"Who the hell sold you this piece of crap? It looks like someone mass-produced a knife and then did a half-assed job of sharpening it," demanded Tsuna.

Belphegor...stared at him.

"What."

Tsuna took out something from his pouch, and handed it to him.

Belphegor inspected the kunai in his hand, then one of his knives. The quality difference was beyond obvious and he developed the urge to pay a 'visit' to his supplier.

"Where did you get this kunai?" asked Belphegor.

Come to think of it, this looked far too much like the recent influx of ninja weaponry some of the peasants had been using.

"I made it," said Tsuna.

"You made this?" said Belphegor stunned.

"My mom's family is from a line of sword smiths, and I make these in my spare time with scrap metal. It's one of my primary sources of income, though I've recently started properly entering the family trade. My cousin does all the sharpening," said Tsuna proudly. "And I know for a fact Fon regularly orders weapons for the Triads."

Belphegor stared at him, his smirk widening.

"What makes you think that matters to me?"

"You're Varia, and a Prince who clearly knows what a Quality weapon looks like. That and you fit the basic description of Prince Belphegor of the Storm division," admitted Tsuna.

He couldn't argue with that logic.

Belphegor looked at his knives, then at Tsuna.

"How much would it cost for me to replace all my knives?"

"Depends on how many you want and whether you would be willing to source the material," said Tsuna promptly. "I would be willing to give you a five percent discount if you would be kind enough to promote my work among your colleagues."

"Ushishishi... I'll have Mammy get in contact with you later," said Belphegor.

A week later an odd visitor arrived at the restaurant, while he was with Takeshi.

"Mu. Are you the source of the kunai and shuriken that the mooks have been paying so much for?"

"Are you Mammy?" asked Tsuna.

"It's Mammon," they corrected. "Belphegor came to me asking about changing the contract on the people who supply his knives and mentioned a discount. I want to see an example of your best work."

Tsuna promptly pulled out one of his hidden weapons.

"I dabble in other weaponry, but our family's focus is sword-crafting. I mostly make the kunai and shuriken out of scrap metal to pay for my more detailed works," said Tsuna.

The weapon Tsuna handed the robed figure was a senbon launcher. Since Fon was able to source him weapons grade needles, Tsuna had made it as a prototype.

After several moments of intense inspection, Mammon handed it back.

"It's acceptable for a mere teenager, though not up to Quality standards," Mammon announced.

"This was just a prototype to see if I could make one using the needles Fon sourced me. He certainly loves the Storm Claws I made for him, to say nothing of how much Skull enjoys practicing with the shinobi weaponry Fon ordered for his birthday."

Mammon stiffened.

"_You're_ the source of Fon's new weapons?!"

"He supplied the main material and I supplied the weapon that was scaled down to his size. I'm now his chief supplier of bladed and hidden weaponry since I don't over charge him for it," said Tsuna.

Mammon was clearly doing calculations in their head. They had seen Fon's new 'toys', and had wondered where the Storm had gotten them. Clearly he had stumbled across an untapped gold mine of sorts.

"You said you would be willing to make Belphegor new knives."

"Those blades he was using looked mass-produced," said Tsuna with disgust. "I could make a better knife so long as I had the material for it and an example of what the general shape should be."

At this point it was pretty clear to the family that Tsuna would at least continue the family trade, even if he did do custom orders for weapons outside of swords. And Akira would likely be right beside him to help repair, clean and sharpen any weapons that came in.

Considering Tsuna was making good money without dipping into anything shady, his grandfather had given his blessings...even if he was all too aware of what Fon did for a living. So long as he never brought the underworld onto their family they could learn to politely ignore it.

Mammon looked at the weapon in their hand, and then at Tsuna.

"Mu. Would you agree to a small batch to test the quality difference, along with our side providing material?"

"Standard contract acceptable?" he asked, already pulling it out. His intuition had told him to bring it with him today.

Mammon did a once over of the conditions and took out a pen.

"The materials should arrive within the next few days. Do you prefer a dead drop or should we have someone come to collect the batch once they are completed?"

Tsuna thought that one over.

"Would it be acceptable to have Fon deliver them once the knives are done? He likely knows where your base is and this way we both have assurances the delivery will be made promptly and there won't be any risk of 'accidents'," said Tsuna.

Mammon's estimation of the teen went up a little. Even if they had to put up with Fon making a visit to the castle.

"Agreed," said Mammon, and they shook on it. Five days later Tsuna got a shipment of material and five of Belphegor's preferred knives.

Considering this would be a _major_ client if he did this right, Tsuna put his best effort into recreating the blades. Akira seemed to pick up on how serious the order was, because he took extra care sharpening them.

After about a month and a half, Fon left Namimori with a decently sized box that he took with him to Sicily.

* * *

_In the Varia castle..._

Fon didn't bother to announce himself. The moment he saw where Belphegor and Viper were he went straight for them.

"Special delivery from Namimori," he said cheerfully.

Belphegor looked at the box with anticipation and opened it. He picked up one of the knives inside that were lying in neat rows.

He pulled out one of his current set and bent it... he had to admit, the small bunny he ran into wasn't joking when he called the blades he used before 'mass-produced'. Apparently the peasants who filled the orders before simply poured molten metal into molds and then had senior apprentices sharpen them before they were delivered to the castle.

Belphegor had not been pleased finding that out.

He attempted to bend the knife in his hand...only to end up cut for his troubles. More importantly, the blade didn't bend an inch and was razor sharp. He could already see the thin line on his palm, which was a far cry from the quality he usually got his knives in.

"Voi! What the hell did you buy this time you shitty prince?" demanded Squalo. He stopped cold at the sight of the knives. "Did we change suppliers recently?"

Mammon smirked. If Squalo could tell an immediate difference, then clearly the teen that Belphegor had run into was well worth the investment.

"What did you expect from the grandson of the Narikawa clan?" said Fon cheekily.

Squalo turned to the Storm Arcobaleno with an intent look on his face.

"Voi...did you just say _Narikawa_?"

"Kozen's grandson Tsuna ran into Belphegor after a sushi run and agreed to make him a new set of knives after he saw the ones the prince was using," said Fon. He pulled out his favorite weapons. "He also does custom orders outside of swords, though most of his income comes from the shinobi weaponry orders."

Squalo looked at the Storm, and then at his prosthetic hand.

"...Do you think he'd be willing to make a new sword?"

"You can always ask. He always runs any orders for actual swords through his grandfather and uncle first, since they take their family's craft very seriously," said Fon.

He wasn't surprised in the least when Squalo used his vacation to make a trip to Japan.

* * *

_Two weeks later..._

Squalo was... well, honestly the guy was rather intimidating, but the second Tsuna saw the genuine appreciation for the family swords that they had he lost some of his fear of the man.

"So you want a custom sword that would fit on your prosthetic hand?" said Tsuna.

"I have one that's modified to hold a sword without the hilt attached, but finding decent blades without being charged through the nose for it is almost impossible these days. Most people prefer guns," said Squalo simply. "And the quality of the knives you sent to that brat Belphegor is superior to half the blades I've seen in five years."

It was a good thing summer break was coming, because Tsuna could already tell this was going to take a while. Especially if he wanted to honor the family craft properly.

He looked to his grandfather who was calmly sipping tea. Like Tsuna, once he realized the loud Italian showed proper appreciation for a well crafted sword he lost most of his unease around him. Especially since the man was clearly an experienced swordsman in his own right.

This was someone who knew blades and used them as they were supposed to be used.

"It's up to you. If you agree to this and produce a sword worthy of the name I'll allow you to officially take orders as a proper sword smith."

Tsuna looked thrilled at the idea. After so many years apprenticing under his grandfather and uncle, this was finally his chance to have an actual forge of his own. It meant that he was finally considered a proper smith that could possibly carry on the family name with pride.

It was a monumental moment for the fifteen year old.

Tsuna took out his notebook.

"What kind of sword were you wanting?" he said, starting off the process. There was no mistaking the gleam in his eyes as the "forger's itch" hit him full force.

Squalo blinked before a shark-like grin appeared on his face.

Tsuna was a man possessed, though he had his friends to keep him from going _too_ overboard with Squalo's order.

After discovering the kid had flames, but no training in how to use them properly, Squalo managed to wrangle a slightly better discount on the final price.

To say the shark was surprised finding out Tsuna was an untapped Sky was an understatement, but that paled in comparison to his reaction learning which famiglia the kid technically belonged to.

Since this was his vacation, Squalo decided to stick around to see how seriously the kid took his craft...and in the process ran into Takeshi. The rest, as they say, was history.

He found it rather enjoyable to see how the baby Rain improved under a proper opponent, since the kid's skill level wasn't too bad. Takeshi had taken up learning swords after discovering exactly what had saved his mother's life, and had since mastered the family style. The fact that he could test out the full swords Tsuna made and put them through a proper work out before they were delivered to the client was just a major bonus.

Squalo took one look at the obviously photoshopped post card...and then at Tsuna who looked more irritated than anything at the sight of it.

"Voi. Who the hell is this?"

Because the man on the card looked far too much like the blond jackass of CEDEF to be a coincidence.

"Officially, my father," said Tsuna, looking nothing more like he wanted to set the damn card on fire.

Squalo was smirking.

"And unofficially?"

"I've been telling people for years my father died when I was very young and that my mother has yet to move past the accident that killed him in order to remarry. As far as we're concerned, Iemitsu Sawada is the name of a dead man," deadpanned Tsuna.

Squalo cackled at that. So the jackass' son hated him enough to claim he was dead without hesitation? That was _hilarious_.

"What would you do if he ever showed up?"

"You mean he's alive?" said Tsuna, raising an eyebrow to Squalo's amusement. "If the man on the card ever came to this house again I would call the cops and claim he broke in, preferably after Mama was through with him."

Squalo was cracking up.

"Besides, that man hasn't set foot in this house since I was seven, and if we had our way we would have had his ass declared dead _years_ ago. Unfortunately we still have no idea where to send the divorce paperwork, otherwise Mama would have moved on already."

"What stopped you?"

"Some hotshot lawyer kept the paperwork from going through. Believe me, we tried quite a few times to have him declared dead since we have absolutely no way to contact him in an emergency," said Tsuna.

They had avoided several assassins who had come after the "Young Lion's" family simply because Tsuna got his mother to listen to reason and drop the Sawada name in favor of her maiden one. Fon had disposed of those who stuck around too long and ended up noticed without a word.

Squalo was immensely entertained by all this. He didn't expect a new sword _and_ something he knew would have his Sky laughing his ass off when he finally returned.


	6. Chapter 6

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

* * *

Squalo tested out his new blade, and with no small measure of pleased pride ruffled the teenager's hair.

"Voi...this is one of the better swords I've seen in ages. You do good work...for a midget."

Tsuna squawked at that. On the plus side he now had a Varia-exclusive contract for certain weapons, since he staunchly _refused_ to make any guns.

He was more focused on something they had found out by accident when Lussuria did a brief examination of his flame types. Apparently he had a strong Mist/Cloud secondary that just needed a bit of refining to be useful, on top of his natural Sky flames.

To that end, Tsuna made an agreement with the miserly Mist officer. He'd make a full batch of kunai and shuriken for a hefty discount...in exchange for lessons in how to use his Mist flame.

After seeing a demonstration of what it could do, his eyes had _gleamed_.

"Mu... What exactly are you trying to achieve by learning how to use Mist flames?" asked Mammon.

The sooner they knew what the kid wanted to do with it, the faster they could get this over with.

"Have you ever heard of the Type-Moon franchise, specifically _Fate/Stay Night_?" asked Tsuna.

"Not really."

Belphegor, on the other hand, suddenly started cackling. The second the teen said "Type-Moon" and "Fate/Stay Night" in the same sentence he knew _exactly_ why Tsuna wanted to learn how to cast illusions. Especially considering his profession.

"Ushishishi! You want to recreate Unlimited Blades Works, don't you?" said Belphegor knowingly.

Tsuna blushed, but his lack of denial pretty much confirmed it.

"What is 'Unlimited Blade Works'?" asked Mammon suspiciously.

After seeing a few video clips of the technique (and more importantly the reality marble in question), Mammon looked at Tsuna incredulous.

"You want to recreate_ that_?"

Tsuna nodded.

"...You do realize this is going to be a pain in the ass to recreate."

"Not exactly. From what Fon told me, Mist pockets are very much a thing, and that it _is_ possible to create Real Illusions of something especially the more detail you put into it. And I know swords. So long as I don't try to recreate a Noble Phantasm it should be doable. Besides, the main issue would be recreating the weapons, as the rest is just background detail," said Tsuna cheerfully.

Mammon looked at the video again. He had a point.

"And that's not getting into the fact that if we succeed then it will cement you as the best illusionist of all time, and prove once and for all that illusions are superior to martial arts when it comes to creativity and ingenuity," said Tsuna.

Sold. It always pissed them off that Fon claimed martial arts were superior compared to their illusions. So being able to one-up him for once in a way that he couldn't beat was something they refused to pass up. Besides, it would be a testament to their own skills if they could pull something of this magnitude off.

"We are going to need flame rings, or something to act as a conduit at the very least. Straight out manipulation isn't going to be enough for the smaller details," declared Mammon.

Tsuna perked up at that.

"I may have an idea..." he said slowly. "But it might get really expensive and wipe out all my savings if it works."

"What?" asked Mammon.

"Doesn't the Vongola have connections to a Ring Smith?" said Tsuna.

"You can't possibly mean Talbot," said Mammon incredulous.

"Here's the thing... I've always wanted to learn how to do custom engraving, but I have absolutely no idea who to ask that I know for a fact knows what they're doing. However rings often get engravings all the time and it would allow me to legitimately leave school for a few months for an apprenticeship, if he would be willing to take me on. It would give me valuable experience for more detailed work, and if I get good enough then we could all get Flame conduits for a much cheaper price so long as someone sources the metal."

The only question was if his grandfather would agree to the idea.

Getting his grandfather Kozen to agree to the idea wasn't the problem. It was contacting Talbot without the Vongola finding out.

Talbot's location was a well kept secret, mostly because how hard it was to find a master ringsmith that knew what he was doing.

Luck, however, seemed to be in Tsuna's favor.

Talbot came to him.

"Hehehe...so you want to learn ring-smithing, do you boy? Why should I accept you when I've turned down so many apprentices before now?"

Tsuna blinked.

"Because I actually have zero interest in trying to intrude in the niche market you've made for yourself, I have no inclination to actually join a famiglia, and the main reason I decided on asking to apprentice under you rather than save up far too much cash was because I really want to learn how to engrave things with my flames. I'm a sword-smith first and foremost, not a jeweler," said Tsuna rather bluntly.

That seemed to throw Talbot off.

"You're not interested in my craft?"

"Let's face it, a ring is little more than a focus for flames. If I used the right metal, a sword or other bladed weapon could work just as well, and I've always wanted to do customized engraving," admitted Tsuna. "However my experience with flame-reactive metals is very limited, and I have none at all with picking out the right jewels."

Talbot seemed to stare into his soul.

"You're refreshingly honest, for a brat."

"Well, that and I heard a rumor that Federico was killed off recently and I have no desire whatsoever to humor the Vongola when it comes to the succession issue. Let Xanxus deal with that shit...I'd rather be behind a forge than a desk," said Tsuna sheepishly.

Mammon, when they found out who Tsuna was related to, had laughed. Long and hard...before telling him a few things he hadn't been informed of regarding the Vongola succession.

After the coup, Tsuna's candidacy had gone up ahead of Xanxus, and considering his age and lack of experience in the mafia odds were Iemitsu and Nono wouldn't hesitate to set him up as a shadow leader while they kept control from the shadows as "advisers".

Tsuna had no love for the Vongola. He was a smith first and foremost and his 'father' had always given him a bad feeling. The main thing he was worried about was that they would send Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman, to train him and he didn't want that chaotic asshole _anywhere_ near his forge.

Far better to be hidden away learning how to engrave and make specialized focus than stuck dealing with that monumental headache.

Talbot seemed to be of the similar opinion...that or he wanted to enjoy the chaos of seeing the Vongola scramble to find the 'missing heir' when the kid was right in their own backyard learning something useful.

After all, the kid had been going around as Tsunayoshi _Narikawa_, not Sawada for the better part of a decade now. Considering the nameplate still read "Sawada", it was unlikely anyone would be aware that the kid was using his mother's maiden name when he traveled.

"I like you kid. But I do have one question," said Talbot.

"What's that?"

"Why do you want to learn how to make a specialized focus so badly?"

Tsuna had expected him to ask that, which was why he had the videos already loaded.

Talbot watched Unlimited Blade Works, then looked at Tsuna.

"I have a strong enough control over my Mist flame to recreate it, but I need a focus to fine tune the major details and Sky rings are nearly _impossible_ to find without raising certain alarm bells around the higher ranked famiglia. Everyone would assume I'm trying to start my own," said Tsuna exasperated.

Talbot cracked up.

"Kid, I hope you're ready for long hours, hard work and sheep."

Tsuna blinked.

"Sheep?"

"If you're going to apprentice under me, I'm going to have you take care of my sheep."

"Oh. Okay," said Tsuna.

Talbot brought out an apprenticeship contract. He was sure with a little creative hacking, Tsuna's recently acquired Sun Shōichi could access Iemitsu's bank account and drain it dry to pay for his son's apprenticeship fees.

Kozen countersigned it, as he was still technically Tsuna's Master because of his age. Tsuna signed the third line, making the apprenticeship official.

"I'll come and get you in two weeks. It'll take that long for me to get things ready and I expect the first payment by then," said Talbot.

Tsuna's smile was pure evil.

He had no issue draining Iemitsu's account dry, or funneling the rest into Mammon's accounts as thanks for contacting Talbot for him. If he had been a better father, Tsuna _might_ have felt an iota of guilt for the deed, but Iemitsu hadn't been around since he was seven.

* * *

_One month later..._

Timoteo answered the phone, a bit surprised Reborn had called so quickly.

"Hello?"

"_Ciaossu. Timoteo, you need to fire Iemitsu _immediately_," _siad Reborn irate. _"Either that or I'll simply kill him myself and save you the trouble."_

"Did something happen?"

"_The kid isn't here. More to the point everything I was told about Iemitsu's son is completely wrong...he didn't even get the kid's _birthday_ right, for Christ's sake!"_

Ganauche winced. That was pretty bad.

"Exactly how far off is the intel on Tsunayoshi?" asked Coyote frowning.

You could _hear_ the sarcasm in Reborn's voice, as he was well and truly pissed about how bad it was.

"_The kid has an _active_ contract with the Varia."_

Dead silence.

"Active contract?" repeated Timoteo. This wasn't the "kindly grandfather", but the Ninth Vongola don.

"_I don't know _how_ to explain it, but I found a contract with Squalo Superbi's signature on it along with the signature of Mammon and Belphegor. Along with the Varia crest and a phone number I know for a fact leads straight to the higher Varia officers. According to this, Tsuna is paid a rather sizable sum to provide weapons for them,"_ said Reborn.

"Reborn, find Tsunayoshi and get some answers. I want to know how bad things are before I make a decision."

Reborn hung up, and Timoteo seemed to age even further.

_In Namimori_

"Reborn? What are you doing here?" said a familiar voice.

"Fon?" said Reborn.

Reborn turned to his fellow Arcobaleno.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, I'm bringing Nana some more tea and spices. Tsuna asked me to keep an eye on his mother while he was away under his apprenticeship, after all."

Reborn looked at him sharply.

"You know where Tsuna is."

"He's in Italy, under a special apprentice contract," said Fon pleasantly.

"Apprentice contract? Isn't that a bit outdated?"

"Not quite. It's still very much a serious contract when it comes to specialized jobs. Besides, if Iemitsu actually showed up more often he would have been aware of the fact his son had mafia connections by now."

"You know something."

"I know that Nana and Tsuna have been claiming Iemitsu died shortly after Tsuna was born," deadpanned Fon. "And that the Varia happen to _like_ him more than they do his father. Squalo in particular was singing his praises after he finally met the boy."

Namely because his new sword, "Shark's Frenzy" was the best blade he had ever owned and seemed to share his love of a good fight. He was eagerly awaiting to see what Tsuna could come up with in a few years time.

Reborn pinned Fon to his spot with his eyes alone.

"Tell me everything. The information I have on the boy is absolutely useless."

"It's going to cost you," said Fon.

"You're not turning into Viper now, are you?"

"No, I mean it's going to cost you to actually _behave_ once Tsuna's trial period is over, if you're still contracted to train him."

Reborn blinked.

"What does that mean?"

"I mean the smith he's apprenticed under does not appreciate your brand of chaos anywhere near his workshop, and if you behave like you normally do you will only piss him off and jeopardize Tsuna's training," said Fon. "Besides, he's found a niche that allows him to train his flames without being forced to join a famiglia. I wouldn't be surprised if he became as famous as Talbot once he's old enough."

Reborn raised an eyebrow at that. That was _high_ praise from someone like Fon.

"Exactly what is he doing in Italy anyway?"

Fon grinned darkly...this wasn't the placid Fon who liked to snark at people from behind a veneer of civility... this was the Eye of the Storm who enjoyed a good fight and bloodshed of idiots.

He pulled out a strange glove that promptly turned into a rather unusual weapon. The blades on 'claws' were all razor sharp and saw regular use, and if Reborn was any judge, was made of flame-conductive metals and alloys.

"What the hell? Where on earth did you get that?!" said Reborn with undisguised interest.

"Why Reborn, didn't you know? Tsuna's rather well known by the Triads and to a lesser extent the mafia as a source of well forged blades. He does custom orders all the time, and is now the primary supplier of Prince Belphegor's favorite knives and the one who made Squalo's new favorite sword. Hell, he's responsible for the recent influx of shinobi weaponry," said Fon with far too much cheer.

The look of absolute _shock_ on Reborn's face was hilarious. Fon was glad he gave Mammon and Skull a head's up, because everything was being recorded off-site via the discreet cameras near the house. It was rare anyone caught the arrogant Sun off guard like this.

"Shall we go and have some tea?"

"Keep your heathen ways far from me," said Reborn, rebooting from the shock.

Fon smiled serenely, while internally laughing. It was a longstanding debate which was better...tea or coffee.

He vividly remembered the look of horror on Reborn's face when Fon was quick enough to switch the man's coffee with _tea_. He had looked like someone had tried to feed him acid.


	7. Chapter 7

Tsuna was working the bellows, trying to get the melting point _just_ right for his project. While he had a natural handle of how to forge weapons, jewelry...especially _flame reactive_ jewelry...was a different kettle of fish.

On the plus side, he made a new 'best friend' in one of the lambs he had helped Talbot to deliver. The baby ram followed him like a duckling of sorts whenever he was out tending to the sheep. Talbot had laughed himself into hiccups when he found out what happened.

(Tsuna suspected that he would find said ram traveling back to Japan with him once his apprenticeship was over. He would be right.)

He put his feet to the bellows, and started to push in and out, fanning the flames within the forge to start work for the morning. It was something he was so used to that he didn't give it any thought.

The only difference was that it took a slightly different approach to make jewelry compared to swords, which was where he kept having issues. But it was good work experience, so he didn't complain.

Tsuna was about to start work for the day when he heard a car pull up.

That was unusual. Master Talbot always gave him a head's up about potential customers...not that he was allowed to have any save for his pre-existing contracts... and there wasn't anyone scheduled for today.

Hearing voices, Tsuna's intuition rang with alarm.

Well, he wasn't going to ignore the same sixth sense that had kept him alive all these years and allowed him to becoming a recognized...if very young...swordsmith.

Tsuna backed away from the forge, which was still heating up for the day. It would take an hour before he could properly start work for the day, so he could leave it alone.

He walked up to the wall...and through a very unusual application of Harmony, _melted_ into his surroundings. Thanks to the special bracelet Talbot had given him at the start of the apprenticeship, he had more than enough control to pull this trick off.

Talbot had called him a 'human chameleon' and seemed to find it rather hilarious for some reason.

Tsuna observed the 'guests' with a critical eye...and immediately slipped 'through' the house to a small alcove that wasn't immediately seen from the outside.

He called Talbot.

"_Master Talbot, is there any reason the Vongola would be visiting you today?"_ he asked in Italian.

"_Vongola? I haven't received a call from them. Who's there?"_

"_A Storm, a Sun and a Cloud, all wearing Guardian rings."_

"_I'll be there in ten minutes. Stall if you can,"_ said Talbot. He wasn't about to leave the kid who provided him so much entertainment alone with the Vongola. They might try to take him away!

Tsuna grabbed the bandanna he used to keep the hair out of his face and tied it over his rather distinctive hair. He was in his usual outfit for the forge, which was made of his Mist flame. In order to learn the finer arts of controlling it, Talbot had him training that every time he worked on the forge until it became almost instinctive.

He had already learned the art of using his Cloud flame to amplify the amount of force in the blows he put into his forging. It was the _only_ reason he was able to put enough force into his hammer to match his uncle and grandfather solo. He wasn't skinny, but he never would have developed the muscles necessary without it either. Not without constant practice.

Tsuna strolled in, ignoring the three Vongola Guardians and checked the forge. It was hot enough for the first round of metal. Without giving them even a second thought...(ignoring their existence was surprisingly easy)...he put the metal to the fire to heat up.

He checked his tools and continued to ignore the increasingly annoyed Italians.

The Storm in particular looked rather pissed off that he was being blatantly ignored.

So when Talbot came in, he took one look at the unhappy expressions of the visitors and the dismissive attitude of his apprentice and grinned.

"Gentlemen! What can I do for my _unexpected_ visitors this fine day?"

Emphasis on the unexpected.

"We came to personally inquire why you recently took a rather large amount of money from Iemitsu."

"Iemitsu? I haven't talked to that spoiled brat once," said Talbot.

"Well the money came from his account to yours, and he never placed an order."

"Then maybe the dumbass shouldn't have left his account book unattended," muttered Tsuna.

"Now you talk! You should show more respect, you brat!" snapped the Storm.

"Why should I show respect to people who show up without calling first and barge in when the occupants are out as if they own the place? Besides, you're no client of mine," said Tsuna staring down the Storm.

The Storm back down first, unnerved by the gaze of the teen.

"Pardon my hot headed friend. However it's not often we're dismissed as pieces of furniture," said the Cloud pointedly.

"And _why_ should I care about three Guardians barging into my Master's workshop when I know for a fact you aren't clients of mine? You didn't knock, you didn't call out for Master, and you just waltzed in as if you owned the place. Besides, the only people I'm allowed to contract out to are those I have established orders from," said Tsuna flatly. "I don't care if you three _are_ Vongola... you need to display proper manners and not allow your overinflated ego take over."

Talbot cackled. Tsuna was right of course...though it had been a very long time indeed since any of these three were confronted by someone not afraid of them or impressed with their positions.

Tsuna went back to work, as he had no interest in the Vongola. Besides, the Varia recently sent in a request for more of Belphegor's special knives, along with the rough amount of metal needed to make them.

Coyote shot Tsuna another glare before he finally left, annoyed by the amount of disrespect the brat had shown him.

Talbot patted Tsuna on the back for keeping his mouth shut and focusing on the important things. Namely the order he had to finish.

* * *

_In Rome, a few days later..._

Reborn was many things, but an idiot wasn't one of them. When Fon cheerfully told him that his prospective student had left for an year-long apprenticeship, and a month later Timoteo asked him to investigate who Talbot's new apprentice was since the Vongola was scrambling to find young Tsunayoshi...well, it didn't take much for his genius IQ to put the obvious together.

There were very few people Reborn would be wary of pissing off with his general antics, and Talbot happened to be on the top five of that list.

Which was why he was sending a text to Fon to confirm what he already knew.

_My student is training under Talbot, isn't he? -Chaos Sun_

_Took you long enough to figure it out. -StormDragon_

_How the hell did he convince that old fossil into agreeing to take him as apprentice?! -Chaos Sun_

_One, he was mostly interested in extra experience when it came to using flame reactive metals and jewels, with the addition of learning how to engrave things. Two, he used Iemitsu's account to pay for the right. And three, because Talbot wanted to enjoy the fun of seeing the Vongola scramble to find their missing heir when he was within their territory the whole time learning something 'useful'. -StormDragon_

…_How exactly did they miss the fact that Talbot's new apprentice was their missing heir? -Chaos Sun_

_From what I was told, Tsuna kept his attention on the order the Varia had placed and ignored the Guardians entirely, and had a bandanna hiding his hair. They probably didn't get a good enough look at him. -StormDragon _

Well that explained why Coyote was bitching about how disrespectful the kid had been. Reborn actually applauded that particular attitude. It wasn't like they were his clients after all.

It also meant that Reborn could ignore all demands from the Vongola for the next few months...there wasn't much point training the kid until his apprenticeship was up. Not unless the Vongola wanted to explain why they sent an independent to make a mess of Talbot's workshop.

He was pretty sure even_ that_ price tag would make the Vongola balk about trying to force the kid into being their next don.

He was also positive Viper was laughing their ass off at the Vongola right now... he had heard they had joined the Varia as their Mist officer which meant they knew more about the situation than he did.

* * *

Tsuna was doing something rather...unusual...with the left over bits and pieces of scrap metal Talbot allowed him to keep. All of it was flame reactive, though very little of it was actually precious metal.

Talbot was _very_ good at only using the minimum amount to make rings, so there was almost no waste. However there were certain metals like titanium that could conduct just as well, even if it didn't look as pretty.

(Very few people were aware that Talbot tended to short change the metals used generally by plating the cheaper metal with the ones ordered...especially if he was annoyed with his customer. The rings still worked, so no one really needed to know anyway.)

Tsuna was going to make a hammer. One that was made of almost entirely flame reactive metals. He had to pay particular attention to the hilt, as that would be the most difficult to make. He wasn't _used_ to making something so circular.

Though he found it rather amusing that he would be using Aries' wool (the ram that had taken such a liking to him) to make the wrapping on the hilt. He thought it rather apt to use the name of the constellation to name his new 'pet'. Even if it took him a good month to get the hang of carding the wool, dying it, and then learning how to weave it properly.

(On an unrelated note, he now had the rather amusing hobby of knitting thanks to his apprenticeship. So far he could make scarves, but he was working up to 'knitting' a set of proper chainmail.)

Tsuna carefully poured the tougher metals into the kiln, making sure to heat it up so that they would meld together. It was a tricky process made harder because each metal had a different 'reaction' to flames. He had to keep the entire thing in perfect harmony so that the hammer wouldn't blow up in his face when he channeled his flames into them.

Fortunately, that's what Sky flames were good at...that and he shamelessly abused his Hyper Intuition the entire time.

It was an arduous process, made even more taxing by the heat of the forge.

This was going to take several weeks to complete, never mind the fact he had to hammer out the impurities and then beat it into the shape he wanted.

And don't get him started on the long, drawn out task of putting the few precious metals that his master allowed him to keep, solely for the purpose of adding not only a bit of decoration, but increasing it's ability to channel flames.

Oh well, at least he had a long term project to play around with.

For the most part, his apprenticeship (and side project) went smashingly. Tsuna was very happy with it, because he had learned a lot more than he expected.

That being said, he was not expecting the rather unusual accident that occurred...or the ramifications that it would have.

All because Talbot handed him an odd rock that had high flame conductive properties that almost looked like a pacifier. He didn't want to see any of the gems wasted, so he had gone out and found something else that would work just as well.

Tsuna was pouring the metal around the odd rock, mostly so he didn't have to keep buffing it or worry about it breaking from the force he tended to put in his blows.

While he was doing that, he kept a small amount of Sky flame pouring into it, so that he could tell if something went wrong... hopefully with enough time to correct his mistake.

The rock began to glow from a bright orange light that was almost the same hue as the sunset. What Tsuna _didn't_ notice was that the gold was glowing too.

Right as he was about to pour the final bit of metal over it, the rock let loose enough flames that Tsuna had to back away quickly unless he wanted it to melt right onto his hand.

He wasn't about to go near that rock when it was floating like that.

To add to his growing shock, the _Vindice_ arrived. The lead Vindice took _one_ look at the accidental creation, then at a shell-shocked Tsuna.

"**...Is this self-sustaining?"** asked the 'leader' seriously.

"I honestly have no idea," said Tsuna. "I was still pouring the metal on it when the thing just lit up on it's own and the rock almost melted onto my hand."

Tsuna was still quite bewildered upon meeting Bermuda...and learning that his accidental creation was indeed, self-sustaining so long as the Vindice were willing to keep it in a loop using their special flames.

On the plus side, he was now permanently on the their good side for accidentally discovering an alternative to the Arcobaleno curse.

A week later, an very happy Fon showed up to give him a tight hug...for someone who was slowly starting to regain his actual age, he sure had strong arms. Fon was also completely delighted to find out that Tsuna was actually his Sky.

Fon, Viper, and Skull were likely the _only _ones who were aware of who broke the curse they were under, even if it was entirely by accident while he was trying to recreate something else.

Though when he found out _what_ exactly Tsuna was trying to make, he put the boy in contact with Verde. The scientist was both intrigued by the concept and thankful for the fact Tsuna was the one responsible for the removal of the curse. As such he humored the boy and agreed to help make the 'computer' part of the hammer, which Tsuna called "Graf Eisen".

Fon was infinitely amused by the fact Tsuna was working so hard to recreate his favorite weapons (and his favorite spell). After all, what weapon suited a smith better than an actual hammer?


End file.
